Nettles (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Theme

Evidence

Poet's intention

Intimate relationships 

The first-person speaker, a parent, expresses their intense feelings of love for their son:

• However, the form is rigid, one stanza without a break

Scannell portrays a parent’s controlled emotions as they try to comfort and protect their child 

The poem’s title introduces an extended metaphor that takes the form of an allegory:

• The speaker is matter-of-fact as he begins his story 

Scannell describes a child who is injured by nettles to symbolise a parent’s need to take charge and protect

Scannell does not break the one-stanza form but uses a volta to begin a three-line conclusion:

• The last line is separated to end with an emphatic statement 

The poem’s tight form reflects the speaker’s tension as they attempt to protect their son from harm

Scannell explores how a parent’s deep love brings a desire for control in their role as protector 

Theme

Evidence

Poet's intention

Intense love 

Scannell employs the conventions of a sonnet:

• The poem has a regular rhyme scheme of abab cdcd efef ghgh

• Iambic pentameter creates a steady rhythm 

The poem alludes to traditional expressions of intense emotion to convey the strength of parental love

Caesurae reflects dramatic moments:

• Lines such as “It was no place for rest. With sobs and tears” and “Stood upright any more. And then I lit” add tension 

Scannell conveys a parent’s urgent need to protect their son

The poem breaks from the conventional style of a sonnet:

• Instead of 14 lines, the poem has 16 lines

• Scannell squeezes four quatrains together, unlike a sonnet’s typical three quatrains

Scannell disrupts a conventional sonnet to illustrate the parent’s love and pain 

Scannell shows how a parent’s strong feelings of love lead to frustration

Theme

Evidence

Poet's intention

Family relationships 

Scannell’s metaphor compares a bed of nettles to an army:

• The nettles are described as “green spears”, a “regiment of spite”, a “fierce parade” and “tall recruits”

Scanell’s use of metaphorical language and personification evoke the idea of a battle:

• The conflict is between the parent and nature (or the world)

The parent’s fear manifests in aggressive action: 

• They “slashed in fury”

• Alliteration highlights their determination: “Till not a nettle”

Scannell portrays a parent’s desperation to fight off any enemies in their bid to protect their child

The young son’s vulnerability is emphasised with imagery: 

• Alliteration in “blisters beaded” helps to highlight his “tender”, “raw” skin

• He has a weak and “watery grin”

• But he will feel “sharp wounds” again 

Scannell shows the parent’s desire to keep their vulnerable child safe from harm

Scannell’s poem is a symbolic representation of a parent’s sense of duty and the strength of family bonds

Topic sentence

Both poems describe intimate, yet tense moments in a close relationship 

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’ 

'One Flesh'

Scannell’s first-person poem describes a parent comforting their young son after he is stung by nettles:

• Emotive language creates a touching scene: “We soothed him till his pain was not so raw.”

Jennings depicts a married couple at bedtime:

• Sensory imagery is intimate yet unusual (the light is “on late”)

• The speaker says the aged couple have been touched “gently” by a “feather” of “time”

Scannell, however, breaks the steady rhythm of the poem to allude to tensions and instability:

• Caesura is used to break lines abruptly, such as “It was no place for rest. With sobs and tears”

Jennings similarly breaks the constant rhythm of the poem to imply unease in the relationship: “How cool they lie. They hardly ever touch,”

Scannell describes a parent who attempts to control their response to their son’s pain:

• The speaker goes outside to cut down the nettles in “fury”

• Yet the first and last line create a matter-of-fact tone with short, detached, parallel phrasing (“My son”)

In Jennings’s poem the couple are silent and withhold their feelings: 

• The man’s book is held “unread” and the wife’s eyes are “fixed on the shadows”

• This is juxtaposed with a simile that implies strong emotions: “like a confession/Of having little feeling – or too much” 

The poets both examine repressed feelings in conflicted yet loving relationships

Topic sentence

Both poets explore the idea of ideal love and present it as unattainable 

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’ 

'One Flesh'

Scannell’s poem examines a parent’s wish to protect their son from all pain, even small blisters:

• Military metaphor alludes to the use of physical force to protect, and to fight off enemies

• The poem may be seen as a traditional representation of a parent, particularly a father

• It shows how a sense of duty leads to aggressive action

Jennings refers to traditional attitudes to marriage, that it is a “destination/For which” the couple’s “whole lives were a preparation”:

• The poem refers to Christian ideas that a married couple are “One Flesh”

• The poem suggests that, instead, it leads to “Chastity” and lack of intimacy

Scannell’s poem explores the traditional role of parent as protector:

• The poem looks like a sonnet, perhaps to imply constancy 

• Yet its deviations from convention hint at the futility of this ideal

Jennings’s speaker describes the couple’s bedtime routine with a regular rhythm to allude to the relationship’s traditional nature:

• Yet Jennings suggests it is awkward: “it is as if they wait/Some new event”

Scannell’s volta introduces a grim conclusion: 

• The last lines show the parent’s realisation

• Nature is powerful and inevitably brings pain 

• They know they cannot stop their child feeling pain “again”

Jennings ends with a rhetorical question to convey disillusionment:

• The parents seem unaware their love has died

• Jennings explores the inevitability of time and ageing

Both poets depict individuals who feel powerless in relationships 

Topic sentence

Scannell portrays the sad acknowledgment of a parent’s limitations, while Jennings’s poem is a melancholic reflection on dying passion

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’

'One Flesh'

Scannell’s poem takes the form of one rigid stanza to convey the parent’s controlled yet desperate emotions at their son’s injury

Jennings reflects the reliable routine of marriage but breaks the poem into three separated quatrains to show the distance between the couple 

Scannell’s poem is a poignant description of parents comforting a child, “We soothed him”: 

• Imagery describes the parent’s pain at their son’s “raw” pain and “tender” blistered skin

Jennings’s married couple do not speak to each other:

• Their silence is described with a simile, “like a thread to hold”, to connote a fragile bond

Scannell describes a parent’s determined actions to protect their son:

• They “slashed in fury”

• They “lit a funeral pyre”

In contrast, Jennings’s speaker seems to comment from afar:

• Oxymoron describes the passion and former “fire” that is now “cool” and “cold” 

Scannell portrays a parent taking desperate measures to prevent their loved one’s pain, whereas Jennings’s poem conveys stagnant and cold passivity 

Topic sentence

Both poems depict intimate moments in family relationships

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’

‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’

Scannell describes a tender moment as parents care for their son’s injury:

“We soothed him”

Baillie presents a child speaker’s touching address to their grandfather: “You used to smile and stroke my head”

Scannell uses imagery to describe the moment the “boy came seeking comfort”:

• The speaker sees “White blisters beaded” on “tender skin”

• Here, Scannell emphasises the boy’s innocent fragility 

Baillie, too, emphasises the loved one’s vulnerability and weakness: 

• Adjectives are paired like “old and frail” and “wan and hollow”

• The speaker draws attention to his thin (“Scant”) “white hairs”

Scannell shows the parent’s patience and commitment: 

• The speaker says “At last he offered us a watery grin”

Baillie’s poem is a long address to a grandfather, implying patient, devoted love:

• The speaker insists they will comfort the grandfather “when the weary fire turns blue” and “when you wake”

The poems both portray emotional moments as speakers express their deep love for a family member 

Topic sentence

Both poems explore pain that comes from deep bonds 

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather'

Scannell uses metaphorical imagery related to the military to show the impact of external forces on a relationship: 

• The speaker describes a “regiment of spite” and “tall recruits” 

Baillie describes the impact of the grandfather’s poor health on the community: 

• The speaker describes “good men” who “kneel, and say their prayers”

• They say that “gossips” ask after him and that “everybody looks so sad”

Scannell describes the parent’s angry retaliation as a result of his frustration:

• They “slashed with fury” until “not a nettle” was left alive

• They “lit/A funeral pyre”

Similarly, Baillie conveys the speaker’s frustration with a rhetorical question: “You will not die and leave us then?”

• They instruct the grandfather “Rouse up and be our dad again.”

'Nettles' concludes with a resigned speaker: “My son would often feel sharp wounds again”

Baillie, too, ends her poem with a sense of sadness: “Down on your bosom sinks your head –/You do not hear me, dad.”

The poets present speakers who are determined to protect their loved one, despite the fact they have little control over inevitable changes in life

Topic sentence

While Scannell’s poem is an expression of inevitability and futility, Baillie portrays hopeful innocence 

Evidence and analysis

‘Nettles’

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather’

Scannell portrays a tense, frustrated speaker: 

• The poem is one compressed stanza, suggesting control

• The speaker is matter-of-fact

• A caesura creates tension: “It was no place for rest./With sobs and tears”

In contrast, Baillie’s child speaker brings a light-hearted quality to the poem: 

• The rhyme scheme is rhythmic and energetic

• Half-rhyme reflects a childlike lack of sophistication, such as “cheeks” and “breaks”

Scannell describes the furious actions of the speaker using dark imagery: 

• The speaker builds a “funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead”

Baillie’s speaker tells the grandfather adventure stories to keep him alert:

• For example they refer to a “cunning greedy fox” and “glittering swords”

Scannell’s poem examines a parent’s futile attempts to protect and care for their child:

• The speaker feels powerless against the “busy sun and rain” 

Baillie’s poem is personal and resolute:

• A refrain repeatedly engages the grandfather, for example, “You love a story, dad?” 

Scannell’s extended metaphor is a sophisticated yet detached reflection on family love, while Baillie’s conversational poem is cheerful and unwavering

Topic sentence

Both poems describe intimate moments in a loving relationship 

Evidence and analysis

'Nettles'

'The Manhunt'

'Nettles' describes a tender moment when a parent cares for their son’s injury

'The Manhunt', too, describes a partner caring for an injured loved one

Scannell describes the intimate moment when the “boy came seeking comfort”:

• The speaker says “I saw/White blisters beaded on his tender skin”

• Here, Scannell emphasises the boy’s innocent fragility 

Similarly, Armitage uses imagery to describe the speaker’s tender care: 

• They “handle and hold/the damaged, porcelain collar-bone”

• Armitage stresses the brittle frailty of the man

Scannell describes a devoted, loving relationship: 

• The speaker says “We soothed him till his pain was not so raw”

• They are relieved when “At last he offered us a watery grin”

Armitage uses references to time to highlight the gradual process of care-giving:

• “After” and “Only then” work alongside repetitive couplets to reflect a slow pace

The poets both present loving relationships that find intimacy through tender caregiving and close attention

Topic sentence

Both poets present painful emotions that come from a sense of powerlessness in loving relationships

Evidence and analysis

'Nettles’

'The Manhunt'

Scannell uses metaphorical imagery related to the military to highlight the impact of external forces on a relationship: 

• The speaker describes a “regiment of spite” and “tall recruits” 

Armitage alludes to the damaging effects of war on a relationship:

• The soldier is an “unexploded mine”, implying he hides strong feelings 

'Nettles' conveys a parent’s powerlessness to protect their child: “My son would often feel sharp wounds again”

Similarly, 'The Manhunt' presents a speaker who is frustrated they cannot help more: 

• The poem ends “Then, and only then, did I come close”

The speaker in Scannell’s poem takes determined action to help their child: 

• They “honed the blade” and “lit/A funeral pyre”

• Scannell emphasises the strong emotions behind the actions: “slashed in fury”

Armitage draws attention to connections between the physical and the emotional:

• He juxtaposes verbs like “mind and attend” against emotive language like “feel the hurt” to show the speaker’s attention and care

Both poets describe physical and emotional reactions to strong family love 

Topic sentence

While Scannell shows the parent’s actions as futile to explore limitations in loving relationships, Armitage’s poem is an optimistic presentation of the power of tender care

Evidence and analysis

'Nettles'

'The Manhunt'

Scannell portrays a tense speaker: 

• The poem is one compressed stanza, suggesting tight control

• The speaker is matter-of-fact: “My son aged three fell in the nettle bed.”

• Caesura creates an abrupt tone: “It was no place for rest./With sobs and tears”

In contrast, Armitage’s poem is a sensual description of two lovers:

• The speaker’s tender touch is described throughout the poem

• Rhyming couplets create a gentle mood, such as in the lines “trace/the frozen river which ran through his face”

Scannell describes the furious actions of the speaker using dark imagery and alliteration: 

• The speaker builds a “funeral pyre to burn the fallen dead”

In contrast, Armitage uses alliteration to create a gentle mood: “the parachute silk of his punctured lung”

Scannell’s poem suggests hopelessness and lack of control:

• An allegory is presented through extended metaphor to present a man’s powerlessness against nature 

However, Armitage’s poem is a sentimental presentation of hope in a romantic relationship:

• The speaker finds an answer to their “search” (their “Manhunt”) 

While both poems draw attention to hostile forces in the world, Scannell’s poem presents a defeated speaker while Armitage portrays the power of loving relationships